Head of Auto Collections

Upstart • San Mateo, CA

93d

About The Position

Upstart's Auto Servicing team is seeking a candidate to join the team as a Head of Auto Recovery, to lead our repossession and remarketing operations, overseeing the full asset recovery lifecycle - from delinquency to post-charge-off liquidation. This is a critical leadership role responsible for shaping our recovery strategy, guiding vendor partnerships, and building a high-performance team that ensures we maximize value recovery while maintaining a compliant and customer-centric approach. We've built a functional foundation by leveraging forwarders and outsourced remarketing partners. We are seeking a subject matter expert to evaluate, reimagine, and scale our capability into the future. Candidate must have deep industry knowledge, a strong operational mindset, and the ability to drive results through data and strategy.

Requirements

• A minimum of 7+ years of experience in auto asset recovery, including deep experience in repossession, skip tracing, and remarketing.
• 5 years in a leadership role and proven track record of developing and implementing successful repossession, recovery and post charge off recovery strategies.
• Strong knowledge of repossession and collections laws and regulations.
• Experience working with repossession forwarder and remarketing vendor software and tools, familiarity with collections best practices and an eye towards innovation.
• Agility: Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, rationalize trade-offs and prioritization, willingness to get creative to drive results.
• Big picture thinker: You understand how all stakeholders behave and perform, and are highly capable of combining different tools and methods to create an effective auto recovery strategy.
• Analytical adeptness: You are data-driven, analytical, detail-oriented and relentlessly use data to make decisions on strategy, constantly re-evaluating and updating strategy and needed to maximize effectiveness.
• Flexible amid change and ambiguity: You are excited and comfortable working in an early-stage, high-growth company with limited historical data. You learn quickly, work independently, think creatively, and adapt well to change.

Nice To Haves

• Curiosity: You are immensely curious about the root cause of issues, think critically from first principles, and never stop asking questions.
• Thought Partner: You're open minded and thoughtful about new ideas, and can serve as a thought partner to the team.
• Strategic thinker with a builder's mindset - you can zoom out and set vision or zoom in and fix what's broken.
• Bachelor's degree.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Director of Auto Servicing to define the strategy for repossession and remarketing
• Own and Evolve the Recovery Lifecycle: Lead strategy and operations across repossession, skip tracing, remarketing, and deficiency collections.
• Be Our Industry Expert: Evaluate whether we are using the right vendors, tools, and methods - and recommend improvements rooted in best practices.
• Drive Strategic Transformation: Assess when and how we should transition from forwarders to direct agent models, or implement hybrid structures.
• Optimize Vendor Management: Establish performance scorecards, negotiate contracts, and manage forwarders, LPR providers, skip vendors, and remarketing partners.
• Accelerate Speed to Liquidation: Streamline processes to reduce cycle times from repo to auction and improve overall return rates.
• Data-Driven Leadership: Analyze performance metrics, uncover insights, and lead continuous improvement efforts.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with Product, Legal, Compliance, Risk, and Engineering to build systems, write product requirements (PRDs), and launch operational tooling.
• Lead & Develop a High-Performing Team: Mentor your recovery team and foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and ethical practices.

Benefits

• Competitive Compensation (base + bonus & equity)
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart
• 401(k) with 100% company match up to $4,500 and immediate vesting and after-tax savings
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Life and disability insurance
• Generous holiday, vacation, sick and safety leave
• Supportive parental, family care, and military leave programs
• Annual wellness, technology & ergonomic reimbursement programs
• Social activities including team events and onsites, all-company updates, employee resource groups (ERGs), and other interest groups such as book clubs, fitness, investing, and volunteering
• Catered lunches + snacks & drinks when working in offices

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees